developmental disability
noun
plural developmental disabilities
: any of various conditions (such as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, blindness, or fragile X syndrome) that usually become apparent during infancy or childhood and are marked by delayed development or functional limitations especially in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility
Two to three babies in 1,000 have cerebral palsy (CP), making it one of the most common developmental disabilities.—
Melanie Howard
Melanie HowardAutism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.—Braema Mathi
Braema Mathi
developmentally disabled
adjective
developmentally disabled students
Examples of developmental disability in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Medicaid is a lifeline for people with developmental disabilities.
—Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2025
However, exemptions exist for other cases when people can’t work, including parents with children 13 years old and younger, disabled veterans, those with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, substance-use disorders and more.
—Tim Clouser, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2025
Reynaud and Campos are a part of a pilot program that connects people with developmental disabilities to local job opportunities, run by Goodwill of Orange County in partnership with the Regional Center of Orange County.
—Alexandra Crosnoe, Oc Register, 12 July 2025
Her birth daughters estimate Woodall cared for about 50 children with developmental disabilities or special medical needs.
—Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for developmental disability
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2025
However, exemptions exist for other cases when people can’t work, including parents with children 13 years old and younger, disabled veterans, those with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, substance-use disorders and more.
—Tim Clouser, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2025
Reynaud and Campos are a part of a pilot program that connects people with developmental disabilities to local job opportunities, run by Goodwill of Orange County in partnership with the Regional Center of Orange County.
—Alexandra Crosnoe, Oc Register, 12 July 2025
Her birth daughters estimate Woodall cared for about 50 children with developmental disabilities or special medical needs.
—Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for developmental disability
Cite this Entry
“Developmental disability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/developmental%20disability. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
developmental disability
noun
: any of various conditions (as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, blindness, or fragile X syndrome) that usually become apparent during infancy or childhood and are marked by delayed development or functional limitations especially in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility
Two to three babies in 1,000 have cerebral palsy (CP), making it one of the most common developmental disabilities.—Melanie Howard
Melanie HowardAutism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.—Braema Mathi
Braema Mathi
developmentally disabled
adjective
developmentally disabled children
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share